Never to Fall
by Bologna121
Summary: Lily slowly comes to the realization that James might not be the bad guy of every situation in her life. But will her gradual acceptance of his friendship be enough to get her through all the tough times she must face during Hogwarts' darkest years?
1. Contemplating

**HAHa**** I just did this all in a moment of boredom. But ****is a**** James &Lily story…AND WE ALL LOVE THOSE!!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...darn it. **

I had promised myself that I would never fall in love. I had been cheated on too many times by stupid boyfriends looking for a girl that "wouldn't be such a prude."

Nonsense. I'm not prude. I roll my uniform skirts up just as high as the other girls, loosened up the top 3 buttons of my white shirt as well. I could walk gracefully in 3 in heels-and often did just to see how the boys would react to such an outfit.

"It's just the fact that you _know_ better than to hook up with those guys, Lily." Her best friend Jasmine Coutiere had explained one day in Transfiguration. "You're smarter than that. Therefore, the process goes as follows: they want you, they date you, they test to see how far you go, you reject them stubbornly, they find someone else behind your back!"

Thank you, Jasmine.

"Ms. Coutiere, Ms. Evans, with your permission I would like to continue with the lesson." Professor McGonagall say curtly.

I blushed slightly and said "Sorry Professor" softly, while jasmine just smiled innocently.

When McGonagall had turned back to the board, I raised my face to scan the rest of the classroom. There was Remus, the only one of the Marauders I could tolerate for more than 5 minutes at a time.The was Peter, tring to impress a short blonde from Hufflepuff with his limited knowledge of the subject. There were my other best friends Alexandra and Jaila sitting next to each other and passing a note to…

James?

Now _there_ was a boy to avoid if there ever was one. He'd never actually cheated on a girl in his life, but seemed to have them coming to him in an endless line, one right after the other, until the whole school had declared him the prince of getting girls without even trying.

I didn't get it, really. What made him so special? Sure he was probably one of the best flyers in the school. Heck, he _was_ the best flyer in the school. He was smart (even I could not deny that…he'd beaten me on too many exams to be ignorant of the fact.). And I guess he was sort of attractive…still a bit skinny for a 16 year old Quidditch player, but lean and muscular all the same.

And his hair was annoying. All of that jet-black mess just flopping into his eyes so he could brush it back with an annoying, sultry smirk. That way, you could see his eyes…his oh-so amazing eyes…his clever, knowing, deep, hazel-

He caught me staring and winked.

I rolled my eyes and tossed my head so I wouldn't have to look at him. Jasmine always said it was just a game we played with one another; trying to see which one would give in to the other first. Apparently we were made for each other (as revealed by Professor Lavantine in a rather embarrassing Divination class last year, which could possibly explain for you the reason I did not take the class _this _year)

But I just couldn't see that ever working…. He acted like he wanted me just to spite Severus (my ex best friend), and also because he knew I was a challenge. He liked challenges.

I heard him sigh audibly and turn back around to scribble something back to the girls, Sirius grinning at his side and laughing at whatever he wrote.

**A/N: Hey ya'll ! Hope you liked it. I LOVE REVIEWS!!! tell me if I should keep going, or if I should just make it a one-shot (by finishing it of course)**


	2. What Snape Thinks

**Ch.2- What Snape Thinks**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing…**

**A/N: this chapter may seem really short and almost pointless, but there is a point. I need a chance to introduce Snape and Lily's current position relationship-wise. Thanks for the patience!**

I was sick of him. I was sick of his slimy attitude with everyone who wasn't a precious Slytherin. I was sick of his casual use of the degrading term "Mudblood". Sick of his enormously moronic friends whose only joy in life was causing others "beneath them" pain and embarrassment.

I was also sick of him trying to pretend that there was anyway I could continue being his friend.

I wanted to, though. Merlin knows how much I missed him being around me all the time. We had pretty good times together, despite the fact that he had developed an unrequited crush on me from the beginning.

He was my best friend. But now he was a jerk.

"Potter is staring at you again." He sneered at me in class from where he sat behind me.

He wasn't, of course. Potter, I mean. James was actually sleeping, head fallen on his desk, with Sirius's also sleeping head on his shoulder. It was rather cute really, not that I would ever admit it out loud.

"You want to know _why_ they're so tired all of a sudden, Lily?" he asked with a smile of blatant contempt.

"No. Not at all thank you." I replied icily, turning back to my cauldron.

"Oh…of course you wouldn't," he snapped, suddenly angry. "Why ask, when you know it would only reveal his flaws? You don't want to hear anything bad about your precious git. He's not as perfect as you think, Lily. He's not the good guy" he spat.

I rolled my eyes as we slipped into the argument that we had had so many times before. "I am perfectly aware of what Potter is or isn't thank you very much. I don't need anyone like _you_ telling who is bad. You seem to be a bit muddled on the concept yourself." I flipped my long red hair over my shoulder, signifying that I was done playing games.

He only leaned over his own table so that he could whisper in my ear. "Please, please. Just listen to me." He begged. I felt my heart soften slightly at his broken pleading. "He isn't right for you."

"And I never said he was, Sev. I never said he was." I sighed, and he sat back down in his seat, still looking sour, but a bit happier.

"Are you staring at Lily again, Prongsy?" Sirius teased, opening his eyes to see is best friend looking intently at something near the other side of the classroom.

"Yeah, but she was, too." James grinned.

Sirius laughed, now full awake. "Good. This year might just end on a good note then..." he chuckled, his gray eyes twinkling mischieviously.

**A/N: Again…it's really short. But Snape plays a part in this fic…so I had to kind of summarize in a conversation between them where he and Lily stand. By they way...they are all in the Spring portion of their 6th year. So…again…reviews are always welcome!!**


	3. A Rather Interesting Encounter Part 1

**A rather ****interesting**** Encounter: Part 1**

I had been twirling my hair and reading the same line ofmy charms essay for the last hour and a half, completly distracted by whatSeverus had said to me.

What in Merlin's name made him think he had any right to tell me who was or wasn't good for me. Or even who was or wasn't good in general! Some nerve coming from a man who spent all of his time around Voldemort's Future Faithful Death Eaters. And what made him think that _I _would even consider liking James that way? I pride myself daily on being the only female in the school that has not succumbed to Potter's "charm".

Suddenly I noticed Potter's best friend walking toward where I was sitting. And everyone knows that having Sirius walk up to you with his trademark, handsome, roguish grin is never a good thing. Unless you were in love with him. And I most certainly am not. So I sighed.

He stood in front of where I was sitting in my chair in front of the fire. "Why, hello, Li-"

"Jasmine's over there." I said in a bored voice, turning to my hair.

That caught him. He blinked and then grimaced. "Why would I want Jasmine?"

I smiled inwardly. "Fine. No reason. Forget it. Did you want something?" I then looked up sweetly at him.

He gave me a wary look, still caught off guard from my mentioning Jas. "Have you seen James?" he said then, smirking.

It was my turn to look off guard. Actually, I hadn't seen James all day, and I hated to admit it, but it kind of worried me.

I chose my words carefully, not wanting to throw too much concern in. "No, Black, I have not seen your dear Jamesie. Why…are you worried?"

He grinned again, and shoved his hands in his pockets."Actually, I'm not. But we have-er-things to do down in the Great Hall tonight and I would hate for him to miss it. And if he doesn't hurry his arse up from wherever in Dumbledore's name he is, he's going to miss out on the fun. So if you see him, remind him that we'll be in the Great Hall at nine, ok?" And with that he sauntered away, every female eyes in the common room focused on him.

Nine o'clock. The Great Hall.

The Marauders.

Something was up.

I had been in the Great hall for 15 minutes already when I saw them come down. Ok, 'saw' is the wrong word. I 'heard' them come down, though I couldn't tell exactly where they were, thanks largely in part to Potter's stupid invisibility cloak.

"Did you bring the stuff, Wormtail?" I heard Black's voice ask.

"Yeah! It's…um…right here somewhere…" I heard some clumsy shuffling around in a bag.

"This is ridiculous, take the cloak off, nobody's down here." Remus said, jerking the cloak from around them.

They were standing huddled together around something in Black's hands, muttering some spell under their breath and cursing when it didn't work.

"Merlin! Why won't it work?" I heard Sirius say under his breath in agitation. I moved a bit from where I was hiding behind a statue of armor, finally getting a better glimpse of what was in his hands. It was something green, flaming, and giving off gold smoke. I'd never seen it before in my life, but then again Potter and Black were known for creating strange new spells and incantations. But what was this one supposed to do. Pettigrew looked very excited and even Remus looked eager to see what was happening.

It seemed as if the flame was getting bigger. Entranced, I inched further from out behind my hiding spot.

Not once did I ever question where Filch and his ridiculous cat were. Or why Black and his friends seemed so comfortable wandering after hours without their invisibility cloak.

I was almost completely out from behind my cover when I heard a snide voice.

"Waiting for us, were you, Black?"

**A/N: Lol. This is not supposed to be a cliffhanger. I just wanted to get this part of the story posted before I completely forgot where I was going. Which happens all the time to me. Trust me. So do you like? Hate? Just tell me when to stop guys and I'll do it!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!! I'll be your BFF!**


	4. A rather Interesting Encounter Part 2

**Chapter 4: A Rather Interesting Encounter: Part 2**

I'm not going to lie; I got worried. No good ever comes out of any encounter between the Marauders and a group of Slithering. Especially not when that group of Slithering included Sev.

"Wandering after school hours, I see? Perhaps some points should be taken from good old Gryffindor house?" Severus chided.

Remus was the quickest to respond. "Alas, prefects are the only ones with the authority to do such a thing. And seeing as how you lack certain mental functions to achieve such a title, I believe you ought to step back and explain what you yourselves are doing up and about."

I'd never seen heard or seen Remus so icy. Not even to Sev. Something was wrong, and leave it up to dear Sirius to bring it up.

"So what's with the staff meeting?" he asked lazily, with an icy undertone. He pointed down the hall where one Flitwick's classroom was. "I'm pretty sure I've never heard Dumbledore call a meeting where every teacher and other adult on the grounds were _ordered _to attend. At least" his grey eyes shifted coldly to Mulciber, "until today after news of what your dad did got round."

Mulciber, the slimy and evil thing he was, grimaced and advanced toward Sirius, wand at the ready. His curse was halfway at the ready when Pettigrew snatched the flame out of Sirius' hand and launched it toward the trio.

Sadly I never got to see the effects of whatever the flame was meant for, because at that moment, all hell broke loose.

Snape launched himself at Sirius, both of them tumbling toward the ground, loudly shouted spells narrowly missing each other's heads. Remus and Wormtail were dueling with Mulciber, not even taking the care to be quite about it. And Avery was shrieking in agony from whatever Black's flame had done to him.

I refused to sit around and let this simply unfold in front of my eyes. Finally leaving my hiding post, I raised my wand to hex Mulciber, who had just sent a stunning spell at Remus. As he went crashing into the opposite wall, Severus noticed me. Or, rather, he noticed something behind me.

"Come to join the fight, Potter?" he sneered while still dealing heavily with Sirius' rapid and perfectly aimed hexes.

But James didn't dash over to join in the fight. Instead, he grabbed me by the waist and swung me around to I was facing him. He looked mad for some reason, which was odd, because usually this sort of thing would enthrall him.

I guess it's because I had never been pressed up against them, but before that moment I had never really noticed how amazing his muscles were. Taut, no doubt, because of all the Quidditch he played. And yet soft, like he had a gentle, loving-

"Evans, I swear if you don't get the heck out of here right now I'll murder you myself."

Whoa. What made him think he had that kind of control over me? "Excuse me, I came here of my own free will and I will leave when I am good and ready." I growled back.

But suddenly, James wasn't paying any attention to me, but to something behind me that made his hazel eyes widen. I turned around just in time to see Mulciber, with a horribly deranged smirk, raising his want and pointing it at me.

"_Cruc-_"

James grabbed my waist again and sent us crashing to the ground, y head colliding painfully with the hard floor.

The last sounds I heard from that encounter were Sirius's angry yell, Severus shouting my name, and James swift curse, his warm breath tickling my ears in the process.

**A/N: Ok I PROMISE that this will make sense. And I also PROMISE you will see more James. He is, after all, my favorite character. And we are definitely getting into some L/J stuff soon. JUST BE PATIENT!! IT'S COMING!! Review please!! I love feedback. **


	5. The One Thing

**Chapter 5: The One Thing**

Did you know that when you're unconscious your mind tends to focus (using the term loosely of course) on one thing?

Often, that one think is an easy, simple thought. Nothing complex about it. And usually it's happy. A happy little something merely floating in and out of your subconscious while you are knocked out.

James's arm around my waist. That was my one thing. The warm, soft yet strong weight of his arm curling around my slender waist. That, and the butterflies it sent shooting through my system. I'm pretty sure I blushed, too. Though with all that commotion around us I am sure no one noticed.

It was nice. It was really, really nice. And I wanted his arm around my waist again. Soon.


	6. The Reason?

Chapter 6: The Reason

"Your friend tried to kill me!" I hissed at him for what seemed like the thousandth time that class period. He had been bugging me about it since the beginning of the hour, trying to get me to talk to him and tell him what's wrong.

His best friend tried to kill me!

"Isn't hat a bit extreme?" he raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't going to kill you."

All I could do was stare at him.

Remus had given me the full story. Or, at least I _think_ it was the full story. The Marauders are notorious for only giving selective information out. Jam-Potter once said to me that they did it to keep their aura of mystery about them. And to keep the girls begging for more.

Arrogant prat.

No matter how annoying he was, though, I still never got a chance to apologize. He and Sirius had been keeping to themselves (together of course) since what had transpired the week before. Remus knew what they were planning/talking about/thinking, but wouldn't tell.

"It's not about you, don't worry." He had said with a small smile. They were meant to cheer me up, I think, but they had the opposite effect. That was the problem wasn't it? Ja-Potter _wasn't _thinking about me. Not to sound egotistical and snobbish, but he hadn't paid the least bit of attention to me since he saved me from Mulciber's hex.

Shaking all thoughts of Potter out of my head I focused on Severus again. "Look, Sev. I'm trying really hard not to be completely disgusted with you right now." I saw his face fall a bit, but he tried to maintain his previous smirk. "I think you are a complete and utter idiot for hanging out with such rubbish. But you know what? It's you choice. And you're just lucky that you all didn't get caught."

"There you go again!" he blurted out, earning a disapproving look from Professor Slughorn, who was lecturing at the front of the class. "I'm lucky that _we_ didn't get caught…how about your precious Potter and his friends?"

"Leave Potter out of this! You know perfectly well that he only showed up to stop whatever was going on!" I was starting to get aggravated again

"Protecting him now, are we?" an angry sneer appeared on his face. "You know perfectly well that Potter would have joined in on the fight without a second though had it not been for you" he spat.

I sighed wearily." What are you going on about, Severus?"

He looked away from me and spoke so quietly I almost couldn't hear him. "The only thing stopping him from fighting was the fact that you were down there."

"And?"

He looked as if this was something he did not want to be talking about. "And he did not want you to get hurt. So he delayed whatever horrible curses he had in his brain to make sure you were out of the way first." He looked disgusted.

I thought about this for a couple of minutes. Could James really care that much about me for Severus' story to actually be true? Or was Sev just being jealous…as usual? I put it out of my mind as Slughorn called on me to answer one of his questions.

But while I was answering I could have sworn I heard Severus mutter; "I would have done thing same thing for you."

**A/N: REVIEW!!! PLEASE!! I love getting them….they make me happy!! Lol. JAMES IS COMING GUYS!!!**


	7. The Offer

**Haha. So here it is ladies and gentlemen. CHAPTER SEVEN!!!! I know you've just been DYING for it, right? Hahaha. Happy Holidays. **

It had been a week. An entire week. SEVEN days without seeing James Potter at any time besides during class…and I was scared. Oh, no…I knew he was still alive. Remus and Pettigrew seemed much too cheery for anything sinister to have happened to him. And, like I said, he showed up to class. Of course, I hadn't seen Black outside of class either, which meant that the two prats were being reclusive together.

"You know, after a while that kind of starts to look a bit suspicious" Jaila mused one evening in our dorm while having Alex magically straighten her hair.

Jasmine, from her spot on the bed, scoffed behind her magazine. "Ha. As if. I _know_ what Sirius likes, and he's not gonna find it in his best friend." She suddenly froze and looked up, blushing a deep red. "I so did not mean to say that out loud!"

"Oh no, girl! It's already out. Spill!"

"I knew there was something going on between you two!"

Jasmine threw a desperate look my way. "C'mon, Lils. Help a girl out!"

"Sorry, Jas. You got into this one yourself. And I'm quite interested in how you're going to get out of it," I smirked and then began squealing as Jasmine started throwing pillows at me.

"I'll just be going now" I laughed as I ran out of the door, with Jasmine's screams of protest following me even down the steps that led to the Common Room.

I walked over to the chair closest to the fireplace and stared out of the window into the clear night.

It shouldn't have bothered me so much that I hadn't been able to thank Potter, but it did. And when I really thought about it, the thing that bothered me even more than not being able to say thanks was the fact that he hadn't sought me out all week. I frowned. Actually, even _before_ that little incident he had hardly made the same attempts at wooing me as he had in the years before.

Ok. That _really _bothered me. I don't mean to come off as self absorbed, but I'm just so used to having him follow me around.

That's it. I needed to talk to him. It just had to be done…tonight.

***************************************************************

**(James' POV)**

Sirius and I were on a roll. We had never before (with the obvious exception of when we were trying to figure out how to become Animagi) spent this much time studying for _anything._ But it was getting pretty frustrating. Apparently it is very difficult to do background checks on people who don't want their backgrounds to be checked. Go figure. At this point we would need to break into the Ministry of Magic to get the real information we needed.

"Well," I heard Padfoot sigh from the bed," That's all we're going to get out of this book. A bit pathetic actually. What's wrong with allowing a few details about your personal history to be open to the public?"

I laughed and tossed a book at his head, "How much personal information does your family allow to the public again?"

He barked out a laugh. "Next to none. Point taken. But my family is hardly full of angels."

"Which simply proves that _these_ families probably fall in the same category," Remus said as he entered our dorm, Peter close behind.

"Hey Padfoot, Prongs." Wormtail greeted us as he shut the door behind him. "As usual, you have rumors flying around the school."

"Really?" Sirius said, sitting up in interest. "And what are they saying?"

Remus laughed, "The two of you have barely been seen in public with the exception of class time. What do you think they're saying?"

I ginned and made a kissy face at Padfoot. "Maybe the rumors are true". Sirius blew a kiss back with a laugh.

Remus rolled his eyes. 'So, how's the research going?"

"We're gonna need a plan to break into the Ministry at this point. Or capture all of the suspects and hex the truth out of them."

"I take it's not going that great?"

"We've managed to get a decent amount of information, but we could always use more."

Peter was about to suggest something when we all heard a knock on the door. Remus walked over and answered it, revealing…

My heart just about sky dived out of my chest. Only in my wildest dreams did Lily just come waltzing up to our dorm looking like that. Dressed in a plaid skirt and a white shirt, she had her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. But what made her so cute was the fact that she was biting her full, red bottom lip and shooting nervous looks around the room. Her gorgeous green eyes jumped from Peter's messy bed, to Remus' smiling face, to the book-covered floor, to Sirius's large grin, and finally rested on me.

There went the heart again.

After a few moments of extremely awkward silence, Lily sighed, almost in a way that resembled relief. Could she have been _happy_ to see me?

"Um, hi guys."She said a bit nervously. I had never seen Lily look so afraid of a group of guys…or nervous. Heck…she hated every one of us except for old Moony.

Remus smiled at her again. "Is there anything we can do for you,Lily?"

"Err…Oh! Yes, umm…can I ask James a question?"

She called me James. She bloody called me JAMES! I'm pretty sure it's not healthy for a heart to do the things mine was doing at the precise moment. I could hear Sirius's muffled laughter behind me.

"Sure. Anything." Hope that didn't come out too desperate.

"Well…first I just wanted to thank you for…helping me out last week. Down in the Great Hall?" She kept her nervous gaze on me the entire time. I nodded in response for her to continue. "Yeah! So…thanks. And I wanted to ask you if…I…err."

She was adorable. This whole stuttering thing was really sexy. I would have to tell her that one day. Or maybe have Remus tell her. She wouldn't slap him for saying that.

"Um…could you maybe…" she looked around the room desperately, as if searching for something that would make asking her request easier. Her eyes finally landed on the Transfiguration book next to Wormtail's feet. Her eyes brightened. "Transfiguration! Yes. That's it. Would you mind helping me with our Transfiguration assignment. I was having a bit of trouble on it and I knew that you might be able to help…if you're willing of course."

What bloody wizard in this universe would turn down an offer like that? The assignment that she was referring to was more like an extended project. We had two weeks to complete it, and I hadn't even started on mine yet. We could work on them together, but I would mostly be helping her. She wasn't terrible on the subject…I just happened to be better.

"Of course! When would you like to start?" I asked innocently, putting on my most charming smile.

She looked caught off guard for a moment, but answered back quickly with a blush. "Tomorrow after dinner would be great." She offered.

"Perfect. I'll meet you in the library?"

"Yes! Yeah…great." She cleared her throat, then tossed her hair as if shaking off all of her former nervousness. "Alright, well…thanks again. See you all later I guess," she shot a scathing look at Sirius as if in response to something he'd done. When I looked back at him he just gave me a secretive smile. I was going to kill that kid.

Lily thanked me again, kissed Remus on the check (I would plot his murder later), and then left the room.

The four of us stayed quiet for a minute, and I refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"Well…" Sirius stated suggestively. "This will certainly be interesting."

**SOOOO Sorry you guys. It's been FOREVER since my last update. I still kinda know where this is headed, so don't lose hope on me just yet. **

**Review Review Review! That make me OHHHHH so happy!**


	8. Ready?

**Many thanks to **_**Abarraine**_** and **_**Lilybookworm**_** for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

What had I just done? What in Merlin's name had possessed me to just waltz on in there and practically fall all over Potter's feet begging for tutorials that I certainly did not need? (Ok…maybe I did need a little help in that class)

Insanity. That's it. I was partially insane at the moment.

Ah, who was I kidding? I wanted to spend more time with the guy. I was upset over the fact that he wasn't paying attention to me so I took desperate measures to make sure that he wouldn't let go of me completely.

But why did I care so much if Potter stilled liked me? That shouldn't have bothered me at all. But it did!

When I had walked in there all of them had looked at me as if I had ended up there on accident. Funny…they thought I had lost my way while I was pretty sure I had just lost my mind. Ja-Potter seemed polite enough. He agreed to my request graciously and humbly accepted my thanks.

No gloating. No sexual innuendos. No suggestive glances at my outfit.

Something was definitely wrong. I may not be the most attractive person in the world, but I had spent a decent amount of time before I went up there making sure I looked somewhat presentable.

I was nervous the entire time I was in there. James' complete calmness was unnerving and Peter kept staring at me. Awkward.

What snapped me out of my nervous stammering was Sirius. His suggestive grin and mischievous looks between James and me got to me. Of course…I was used to Black behaving that way whenever James and I were in the same room, but this time….

It was like he knew something that I didn't.

So I high tailed it out of there, kissing Remus on the cheek as I went. That way I could reclaim some of my dignity…Potter must never ever EVER get it in his head that I liked him.

**************************************************8***

**(The next day)**

Jasmine's jaw dropped in shock. Alex and Jaila had similar reactions when I told them later.

"You didn't"

"I did"

"You…walked in there? For real? As in you physically walked through the door and spoke to him?"

I smiled a little at my best friend's reaction. She really was the greatest friend I had ever had (after my early years with Severus, of course). Jasmine had transferred from Salem Academy in America during our second year. People had immediately decided to hate her here at Hogwarts; rumors started flying around about the drug scandals she was supposedly involved in. The honest truth was all of the girls were jealous of her big city styled fashion and her American accent. Or lack of accent…whichever. And all the males, with the exception of a handful, didn't stand a chance.

"Yes, Jasmine. I actually walked in there and spoke. Well, stuttered is probably the better term" I admitted with a grimace.

She rolled her deep blue eyes and ran a few fingers through her thick black hair. "No matter. I'm sure you grabbed his attention."

"Not that I wanted to," I scowled, but she merely grinned wider.

"All right then, Lily. Whatever you say. So when are you meeting him?"

I glanced at my watch. "5 minutes. How do I look?"

Jasmine glanced down at my green skirt and white blouse. "Too innocent. But very nice." She ginned. "But something's missing." She frowned and soon began searching around our room. She grinned as she pulled out a perfume bottle from my top drawer.

"Oh no"

"Oh, yes."

"I'm just trying to spend a little more time with him, Jas. Get to know him better…not seduce him"

"You can multitask," she grinned and tossed it at me.

*********************************************************

He was waiting for me at a table in the corner of the library. Well…waiting is probably the wrong word. His head had fallen forward on the desk and he was breathing heavily. Poor guy. He must be exhausted. I still hadn't managed to figure out what it was that he and Sirius had been working on. I had been too busy focusing on how to speak properly to pay attention to the titles of the books scattered around their dormitory.

I walked over to the table and sat down, pulling my books, quills and parchment from my green bag and setting them on the table. I folded my hands in front of me and stared at James' head, my eyebrows raised.

"Late night, Sleeping Beauty?" I asked so softly that I expected even if he was awake he wouldn't be able to hear me.

"Feeling up to waking me with a kiss?"James asked, still not moving. I jumped slightly, having not expected him to answer.

He raised his head from the desk, and rumpled his already messy hair with a yawn. "Ready?" he asked politely.

I smiled, trying hard not to look him in the eyes. "Ready enough".

***************************************************

**(James's POV)**

I really had been sleeping when she walked over. But the scent of whatever perfume she had been wearing jolted me out of my sleepy stupor. I groaned internally. Merlin it was intoxicating. I reminded myself to add Jasmine to my hit list…only she would suggest that Lily use something like that.

I was, obviously, completely aware of her presence at the table, but refused to lift my head. It would take a couple of deep breathes to prepare myself for this session.

"Late night, Sleeping Beauty?" she asked softly.

"Feeling up to waking me up with a kiss?" I replied without thinking. I was too use to joking suggestively with her. I expected her to get angry, but it seemed as if she hardly noticed what I had said. I think I scared her.

I took one last calming breath before I raised my head to look at her. "Ready?" I asked.

She smiled, but was avoiding my eyes. "Ready enough".

Huh. Something we had in common.

**Review!!!! I love you ALLLLLLL!!!!!!! :D**


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